Adriana, this is so true for me too. Teaching clinical skills in the health professions can become mundane after a while. Using new methodology to present information can be refreshing! Arlene
Refocusing is important because instructors are human too. When we are teaching a course over and over it is easy to burn out without changing it up a little or refreshing the material. While the content is often the same, how it is presented could be make all the difference in keeping the subject fresh and interesting. An enthusiastic instructor will engage the students and learning will occur. Arlene
I have noticed that if I am feeling tired or even bored myself that I lose the students interest. When I am feeling that way I let them take a break and then I recharge and refocus. Just a quick break helps. Doing back to back classes some days is just hard and you do need a refocus time!
Kali,
Like the way you have express what instructor REFOCUS should be about. This is how we continue to bring our A game to class each time it meets.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
As instructors, we need to be well versed in the subjects that we are teaching. In regards to refocus, instructors need to be positive and refocus during downtimes in class...don't wait until the next class period; the instructor will loose the emphasis and excitement from the original lecture.
Without your energy, creativity, drive and ability to give positive rapport will deminish. The fuel tank has to be filled inorder to continue down the road.
Jay,
You make a very good point about instructor engagement and enthusiasm. We need to bring our A game to each class and when we start to slip into a routine that does not let us do that then we need to do just what you outlined. This will get us ramped back up and excited about teaching once again.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think we as instructors get complacent. That complacency leads to lethargy and then we get so used to our jobs we anticipate how each day is going to go and get run down by the workload. By "REFOCUSing" We put in a new variable and recharge our minds to be more productive.
David,
Your comments are right on in terms of reminding us educators that we need to bring our A game to class each time it meets. To do so requires that we stay engaged and are excited about teaching that day's topic. Yes, it is easy to get burned out but we need to introduce new activities into our classes that get us excited about the class which will expand to our students and their engagement as well.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Dear Dr. Meers and Class, refocusing is an absolute necessity for both teachers and students. Everyone experiences burnout, and, sometimes, this can happen before reaching the end of a semester. This is when using the tool of refocusing is essential. It creates in an instructor the need to become more engaged in the course material once again. It enables them to re-engage with students so that the students do not feel as if they are just getting a recycled lecture, without any of the original oomph the instructor might have infused it with. As an instructor, I tell myself that if I cannot be enthusiastic in each class, each and every day, I am not only cheating the students of the best educational opportunity I am capable of giving them, but I am also cheating myself because each class is different and I can learn from each student in it.
M. O'Connor
We all get a little tired and burned out sometimes. We as instructors cannot let this affect our classroom or it will affect the students and their ability to learn. I like the idea of refocusing to help empower us as instructors and to rethink why we need to present the material and to reassess the priorities of the course. Sometimes I believe that this should be a regular Monday morning routine to help prepare for the week ahead. Thanks for the insight. I thought it was just me getting a little burned out.
Carol,
Thank you for sharing this strategy with us. I know it will be of value to other instructors. Students wear down and get tired so they need activities that will get them ramped back up and this is true for instructors as well.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
When I get to the mid-term hump, I review my syllabus and check off everything I have covered. This gives me a boost to plan for how best to present the rest of the needed material based on how it has gone so far. This is a time of inspiration for me and I can come up with some pretty good ideas from doing this.
Monica,
This is why students need to be reminded over and over throughout the duration of a course. They get worn down and forget they are learning a lot and moving forward in their career development.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
You should always remember why you got into teaching and remind yourself that more than likely the students are beginners at what you are teaching. They will make mistakes and hopefully learn from them. You were the same when you started and just because you are a seasoned veteran don't become impatient when they don't get "IT" the first time. REFOCUS!
It's easy to get stressed out and forget why you're there and how far you've come
Jorge,
Good point and something we need to remember as we plan our instructional delivery and activities. Students need to have a change of pace and variety in their classes.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Gary,
Instructors should always keep in mind the need to REFOCUS, it is imperative to maintain the students actively engaged in the classroom, this will create excitement and add interest to the class. As we know the attention span is only 10 to 15 minutes, the instructor need to keep this in mind an make an effort to REFOCUS on a fly to maintain the student engaged at all times.
Jorge
Daryl,
I agree. One of the things I like to do is to go "job shadow" individuals in my field for a few hours or day. This way I get to see what is the most current applications and techniques being used plus I get input from the person on additional things my students need to know. I find this time a lot of fun and I always learn a lot from this small investment of time.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think we all need a recharge; not only as instructors, but as professionals also. Without a recharge we may find ourselves often wondering not only why am I teaching, but why am I still in this field.
